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Chelsea keep, sell, buy ahead of the 2021/22 campaign: Fullbacks

By Akshat Mehrish

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea celebrates with team mate Christian Pulisic after scoring their side's second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge on January 31, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea celebrates with team mate Christian Pulisic after scoring their side's second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge on January 31, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 21: Emerson Palmieri of Chelsea battles for possession with Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on December 21, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 21: Emerson Palmieri of Chelsea battles for possession with Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on December 21, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

2. Sell/Loan

Chelsea does not need to do shuffle too many things around in the fullback department. The club will be happy with its current options on both sides. However, an overload on the left must be resolved with Chilwell, Alonso and Emerson all vying for two spots at this moment in time. Often times, all three will even appear in the matchday squad.

As things stand, it is Emerson who seems most likely to leave west London in the upcoming transfer window. Alonso, after being kept away from the squad for so long, has found his way back under Tuchel’s management. However, that has come at the expense of Emerson, who finds himself behind the Spaniard and Chilwell in the pecking order.

The Italian fullback was name-checked by Tuchel recently, with the latter calling his continued absence from the matchday squad unfair. He is likely to get another opportunity before the season ends to impress the manager and win his place back in the squad though. The failure to do so, however, should be the catalyst for the club to sell him in the summer transfer window.

While Emerson may be the only high-profile departure in the fullback department, there is still money to be made by selling some of the loaned out players. Baba Rahman, Victor Moses and Davide Zappacosta all have a contract with Chelsea until 2022, meaning that this is the final opportunity for the club to make money by selling them. However, the board has faced difficulties in offloading fringe players in the past and it remains to be seen how they deal with this situation. In the end though, some money is better than no money—the Blues must sell them before allowing them to walk for free.

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